


Fly High

by Quiet_crash



Series: Idols of Alagaesia [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Dragon Riders, Dragon!Tao, Gen, Magic, Rider!Yixing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 17:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10813710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quiet_crash/pseuds/Quiet_crash
Summary: 'You did a good job, Xing' the dragon praised him, rumbling happily in greeting when Yixing stepped out into the sun-dappled courtyard where servants were already scurrying around trying to arrange Tao's accommodations according to his tastes.The dragon was curled up neatly in the middle of the courtyard where the sun spot was the biggest, resting lazily though making the effort to still look as beautiful as he possibly could. There was no end to Tao's vanity.





	Fly High

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Englishbunnyrocks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Englishbunnyrocks/gifts).



> This is an AU based on Christopher Paolini's Eragon books (my favourite books in existence) and co-authored with my lovely Englishbunnyrocks. Although I tagged this little one-shot as a present for her, all the medical stuff required her help; for which I am very grateful!
> 
> Hope you like it.

_Okay, go. But I'm right here, remember, and if I so much as sniff a hint of trouble I'll tear that place apart and take you away, you hear me?_ Tao grumbled, his white scales grating on the stone as he shifted nervously.

 

Yixing smiled at his bonded dragon serenely, entirely used to his overprotective ways. Especially since Tao did have a point. Last time they agreed to help a noble the Rider ended up fighting a dangerous mage in some dusty old corridors under the man's impressive castle as Tao roared his helpless fury into the sky, able only to lend Yixing his strength and remind him of a useful spell.

 

Considering the fact that Tao has always been… nervous, to put it lightly, Yixing couldn't fault him for his worry. Especially since he was right now entering another impressive mansion into which his dragon couldn't follow him, to take a look at the nobleman's wife whose pregnancy was an especially tough one.

 

 _I will be careful, Tao, and you'll be with me. There's no need to worry_ he reassured the dragon rubbing the scales on his nose affectionately and turning to go inside.

 

The inside was as impressive as the outside, opulently but tastefully furnished. Yixing nodded to a servant and stated his name which immediately had the girl running to get her master, leaving Yixing to admire the entrance hall by his lonesome.

 

 _Disrespect_ Tao grumbled in his head.

 

 _They might have not noticed our arrival, you know_ Yixing tried excusing their host but Tao remained unconvinced.

 

 _They didn't notice a blindingly white dragon descending into the middle of their courtyard?_ he snorted derisively.

 

Before Yixing could try to come up with another excuse ( _You're too nice, Yixing. I say we don't help them. They disrespected us both. I should eat them_ Tao said, to which Yixing rolled his eyes and shushed him) there was the sound of rushing footsteps and the master of the house appeared.

 

He was a relatively young man, clothed according to his social standing and rather handsome. However the effect was ruined by the darkness under his eyes, sunken cheeks and permanent wrinkles caused by worry that marred his face. Yixing felt a wave of pity for this man whose wife and child's condition clearly took a toll on him.

 

 _I guess I won't be eating anyone_ Tao rumbled in his mind but didn't even try to hide his own concern. Though a dragon, Tao was as caring and thoughtful as his rider, as much as he liked to threaten everything and everyone with destruction and eating.

 

“Rider Yixing! I am duke Arnhem. Please forgive me,” the man bowed his head respectfully, “I was with my wife and didn't notice your arrival right away. She has been getting weaker every day… But please, where are my manners. Surely you and your dragon would like some refreshment and rest after the journey. Is there anything I can arrange for you?”

 

 _Is there any cider?_ Tao asked curiously but Yixing ignored him. “Some water for Zitao, if you would be so kind, but myself, I would like to see the patient as soon as possible” he said instead, smiling gently at the duke.

 

“Oh, thank the gods” the man breathed and called on a servant to bring some water out for the dragon. “Please, come this way, Rider Yixing.”

 

He led Yixing upstairs into a long corridor, hurrying past a gallery of portraits into a room at the end, the master bedroom. The duchess was lying propped up at a gentle angle, heavily pregnant and visibly unwell. Her husband immediately went to her side, explaining Yixing's presence and gently caressing her face.

 

Yixing nodded his head to greet her as she turned to look at him and felt a strong determination to help the couple as they clung to each other, exhausted but still hopeful.

 

 _Good thing you are the best healer in the whole of Algaesia._ Tao's faith in him only stoked that desire and Yixing resolved to do everything in his power to save the woman and her unborn child.

 

“Rider Yixing” the lady said weakly trying to rise to greet him and the Rider quickly strode up to the bed saying “Please, Lady Arnhem, lie down comfortably. Do not strain yourself. I will try and remove whatever malady befell you but please save your strength.”

 

Together with the duke they got the woman situated and then the man stood to the side, unobtrusively observing and supportive as Yixing went to work.

 

“Can you tell me what symptoms you have, Lady? Any pain?” he asked, putting his hands on the woman's abdomen, focusing first on the baby. However for the most part it seemed to be fine so he moved his focus to the woman herself, immediately noting a very high blood pressure.

 

“Yes, Rider. Ah, my stomach hurts, here, on the right side,” she indicated with her hand, “and my head, but less so.”

 

“She also gets dizzy a lot and complains of nausea” the Duke added worriedly, to which she nodded.

 

Yixing nodded, thinking deeply. There was a scroll he read once, he remembered it vaguely… _Vision, Xing, there was something about double vision in there_ Tao whispered through their bond and Yixing sent him a wave of gratitude as he asked the Lady about vision problems, which she confirmed to have experienced once or twice.

 

 _Think this is it?_ Yixing said to Tao, the memory of the scroll becoming clearer. Yes, he's read about this complication. It caused many women to die with their children. _Looks like it_ , Tao agreed, anxiousness in his tone.

 

Problem was, the scroll was rather vague on both the reason and the treatment of said complication, which left Yixing to think of a treatment by himself. Well, he wasn't the best healer in Algaesia for nothing.

 

Weaving the spell to ensure complete success took ten minutes of intense concentration and he once again thanked the gods for the presence of Tao, who unerringly provided help.

 

Finally, it was ready. Yixing took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “I am going to attempt a healing,” he explained. “I know what befell you and it is a dire condition we know relatively little about, but I am rather confident that I have found a way to help you, or at least alleviate the symptoms.”

 

He didn't wait for the couple to answer him. Yixing closed his eyes and started whispering the spell, making sure to pronounce the words precisely and carefully. It was one of the longer and more precise ones which was tricky, but again, he was a skilled healer.

 

As soon as the last syllable left his lips the spell started working, fed by his energy. Much sooner than he thought he felt it consume most of his reserves.

 

 _Yixing!_ Tao warned immediately offering up his energy for the spell. Yixing accepted it gratefully, feeling as the complicated treatment drained him alarmingly fast. _Thank you, Tao. Not long now, hopefully._

 

The world faded around him and he focused on the precarious balance of energies surrounding the woman and her child. He didn't know how long it went on for but by the time the spell finished its work she was breathing much easier and already looked more healthy while Yixing took his hands off her abdomen and sat heavily on the bed.

 

 _Yixing! Are you okay?_ Tao's frantic voice woke him from his momentary daze. _Yes, Tao, I'm okay. I'm just drained. I didn't expect quite a challenge. But we did it!_

 

“Rider Yixing?” Duke Arnhem asked anxiously. “Is it done? Is my wife going to be okay now?”

 

Yixing smiled at them reassuringly and stood, making place for the husband to join his wife. “Yes, Lady Arnhem will be fine now. Her condition was quite dire though. It is good that you sent for me so I could stop the illness from becoming any more severe. The treatment spell was very complicated and intricate but I believe I managed to heal both the Lady and your child although I'm recommending lots of rest.”

 

“Oh, thank the gods” the duke breathed, bending down to kiss his wife on the forehead, relieved. “I don't know how to thank you, Rider Yixing.”

 

“We are in your debt” the Lady added, blinking back tears, her hand on her belly.

 

Yixing smiled at them, joy filling his heart. “I am happy to help. But Lady, if I may. Please refrain from any strenuous activities until the baby is born. Lord Arnhem, make sure your wife's diet is balanced, paying special attention to fruits. She must also drink a lot of water. And lastly, I believe your due date is in a few weeks, is it not?” he asked her to which she nodded. “Then please send for me when the time comes. I would like to make sure both yourself and the baby will be okay. I will provide you with an enchanted item and explain how to use it to call me after I've had a little rest.”

 

“It would be my honour to be in your care, Argetlam” she managed to say through her tears, the Duke squeezing her hand and adding his own thanks. “I'll be sure to follow your directions to the letter!”

 

“Very well. I hope you can enjoy those last few weeks before you meet your baby, Lady.” Yixing smiled at her tiredly. “Now, to be safe, I'd like to stay overnight and do a check-up tomorrow before returning to my home.”

 

“Of course!” Lord Arnhem promised solemnly. “I'm afraid our abode is not designed with a dragon in mind for which I sincerely apologize but if your dragon, if Zitao would be so kind, I am positive we can work out some arrangement that would be satisfying.”

 

“Excellent” Yixing bowed his head minutely. “Let me do one last check before I retire then, I'm afraid I am more than a little drained after the healing.”

 

“Naturally. I will have your room ready in a matter of minutes, and some food to replenish your strength, Rider Yixing. I will also have my people start on a temporary abode for your dragon.” the duke promised.

 

Yixing thanked him with a nod, made sure the Lady was completely healed and then left her with her husband, heading back to Tao.

 

 _You did a good job, Xing_ the dragon praised him, rumbling happily in greeting when Yixing stepped out into the sun-dappled courtyard where servants were already scurrying around trying to arrange Tao's accommodations according to his tastes.

 

The dragon was curled up neatly in the middle of the courtyard where the sun spot was the biggest, resting lazily though making the effort to still look as beautiful as he possibly could. There was no end to Tao's vanity.

 

Tao snorted, curls of smoke escaping his nostrils. _You would be vain too if you were as beautiful as I._

 

Yixing laughed at his antics, coming right up to his neck and scratching behind his jaw where he knew Tao liked best. _Are you implying I am ugly?_ he teased.

 

Tao's wings fanned out in delight as he pushed into his Rider's hands. _You're not ugly… for a two-leg anyway._

 

 _Of course_ , Yixing agreed with fake solemnity, _you wouldn't stand an ugly rider._

 

 _That's right_ , Tao sighed happily offering up new places to scratch. Yixing obliged him fondly.

 

They stayed like that until lunch was announced (a whole doe for Tao; Yixing caused a little commotion when he politely declined any meat offered to him as he explained that he couldn't stand to eat the flesh of living creatures – the meat went to Tao who was all too happy to devour it, praising the cooks, and the Rider was quickly provided with a variety of fruits and vegetables), and then Yixing was shown to his room. He noted with happiness that the window looked out on the courtyard where Tao was.

 

 _Okay, I'll admit,_ Tao rumbled in his mind happily when he managed to get a servant to bring him some apple cider, _these people are not so bad._

 

 _They are good people_ , Yixing agreed settling at the desk to write down the spell he created to heal the Lady and a report for Junmyeon. _I'm glad we came here_.

 

Next day's examination proved that the treatment worked. Yixing was very through but he didn't find any sign of illness and the Lady also stated that she felt quite well though still tired, which was to be expected, he assured her, so Yixing wrote up a simple spell on a piece of paper and gave it to her, teaching her how to activate it so that it alerts him to her call.

 

She thanked him profusely, as did her husband, who additionally showed his gratitude in money that Yixing tried to refuse until Tao growled at him to just take it, and then they were back in the air, heading towards Vroengard.

–

The expected call came almost six weeks later. Yixing had been meditating in their favourite clearing while Tao hunted when he felt the pull. The dragon immediately turned back and before an hour passed they were on their way, Junmyeon alerted and various scrolls and droughts packed. They arrived almost eight ours later and people scattered as Tao landed heavily in the courtyard.

 

Yixing was on the ground before the dragon even landed properly, already hurrying to see the patients.

 

A servant let him into the chamber. He came to stand unobtrusively on the side the Duke was not sitting on and, given the midwife's go ahead, concentrated on the web of energies surrounding the woman and her child as well as numbing some of her pain and keeping up her energy levels. That was what worried him most after the healing although now she was much stronger than she had been. However, that was all he did, as the Duke had employed a skilled midwife and she hardly cared for any male interference, regardless of the man's position. Yixing was very content with that, truth be told. He had enough of Tao's distressed commentary when he stayed on the sidelines. Gods know they would both panic if they had to deliver the baby themselves.

 

Thankfully, eight hours later the little Lady Arnhem was born healthy and after making sure both the mother and daughter were okay and sleeping safely, Yixing accepted the Duke's most sincere thanks and escaped to Tao, who proceeded to take him up to the skies to clear their minds.

 

On their return they were asked to stay a few days just in case, to which they consented. The weather was nice so Tao wasn't bothered by the lack of proper shelter and Yixing was glad to have some time to add notes to his revolutionary scroll on pregnancy complications.

 

Two days passed with nothing significant happening. Yixing ate his meals with the Duke, monitored the Duchess and her baby's health and spent his time with Tao. Sometimes they took to the skies for quick trips over the mansion, sometimes they sat together and meditated. On the first full day of their stay Yixing was given a tour of the mansion and struggled to keep a straight face when in his mind Tao panicked because the servants' children finally dared to approach him.

 

 _Xing!_ the dragon whined, _what if I accidentally step on them? They're climbing on me, oh what if they climb too high and fall off and break their necks?! What if they hurt themselves on my claws, Yixing, come here and save me! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! ZHANG YIXING!!!_

 

But an hour passed and none of Tao's fears came true so gradually his playful side came out and he let the children jump over his tail, climb on his head and hide under his wings like they were huge tents. One girl was particularly fascinated with his ice-white irises and she spent solid five minutes playing the blinking game with him.

 

He still wouldn't let them check the sharpness of his claws and definitely wouldn't breathe fire for them though they begged for “just a little flame, I heard at the market that dragon flames are the same colour as their scales!”.

 

When Yixing emerged from the cool shade of the house he was met with the ridiculous sight of his fearsome dragon surrounded and climbed on by a dozen children and he couldn't help the laughter that spilled from his mouth, causing Tao to snarl at him and then sulk when neither the Rider nor the children paid him any mind except for some excited boys' whooping.

 

Soon enough the tables turned though, when Yixing was assaulted by small humans clamouring around the pair and asking for displays of magic and if the nice dragon could please take them up to the skies.

 

Yixing paled at the mere thought and managed to distract them with a few magic lights that he had dance between the children and change shapes before a harried servant came and herded them away, apologizing profusely. Tao snorted but Yixing waved her off.

 

On the evening that day Junmyeon called from Vroengard via the mirrors and they had a nice long chat. Yixing gave his report and then Junmyeon shared stories from the training grounds, the younger dragons and riders' shenanigans always a source of amusement. The call squashed the little seed of longing that sprouted in Yixing's heart any time he was away from Vroengard for longer than a day, leaving Yixing feeling lighter and happier as he and Tao discussed what they learned. They also made sure to gather as much energy as possible. It always paid to be ready. However in the upcoming days both the mother and the daughter consistently stayed healthy so at the end of the week Yixing gave them some invigorating draughts and a few pieces of advice, gotten a beautiful opal ring and a matching gem on a much larger band for Tao (he demanded Yixing put it on the horn on the right side of his skull) as a present for everything they have done for the new parents, and they flew back home, content and happy.

 

 _We should get more jobs like this,_ Tao commented as they were passing a still-water lake in which he admired his new, very functional (for it allowed him to store excess energy), jewellery. _Now if only our way home is uneventful we'll have a perfect ending to a perfect week._

 

 _It would be very nice…_ Yixing agreed.

 

_I jinxed it didn't I._

 

…

 

Over the sea they flew right into a storm. Yixing tightened the loops of his stirrups, cast a spell to repel the water from himself and laughed at Tao's colourful expletives.

**Author's Note:**

> You can't tell me Yixing wouldn't exhaust his magic to help someone and Tao wouldn't be the most vain dragon in existence.


End file.
